Free Badlands Trilogy (Book 2): Beyond the Badlands by Brian J. Jarrett Page B

okay?” the woman asked.
    Zach realized he’d been holding his breath. “Yeah,” he said, exhaling. “We thought you were a carrier.”
    “Who’s in there, Rose?” A man’s voice called out from behind the woman, out of sight.  
    “A couple of boys.”
    The man fell in behind her. “I see.” His eyes narrowed. “Are you kids friendly?”
    “Are you?” Jeremy asked, a defiant glare in his eyes.
    “That depends on your answer,” the man replied, stepping into view. He was big, built like a football player.
    “Max, don’t,” Rose said. “They’re just kids.”
    “Are you two alone?” Max asked.
    Zach took a deep breath. “No…I mean, yeah.” He glanced at Jeremy. “We’re looking for our dad.”
    “Were you on the train when it crashed?” Rose asked.
    “Yeah,” Jeremy said.
    “So were we,” Rose said. “You two were lucky. Not many of us made it.”
    “After the crash, a man dressed like a guardsman pulled us away and tied us up in an old house,” Zach said.
    “But he wasn’t a guardsman, he was bad. He took Trish,” Jeremy added.
    “Who’s Trish?” Rose asked. “Your sister?”
    “No, she’s our…stepmom, I guess.”
    “Somebody tied you up?” Max asked. “For real?”
    Both boys nodded in unison. “But we got away,” Zach said.
    “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Rose asked.
    “No, we’re okay,” Zach said.
    “Hey, I’m not trying to boss you around here, but I’d get the hell out of this train car if I was you.” He glanced at the dead carrier. “This place is a death trap.”
    “That’s what we were trying to do,” Jeremy added.
    Rose looked at the boys. “Do you two have a place to go?”
    Both Zach and Jeremy shook their heads.
    “Well, you’re welcome to come with us,” Rose offered.
    “Rose…” Max began.
    Rose held up a hand. “Max, it’ll be fine.”
    Zach felt apprehensive about going anywhere with anyone. “Where are you guys going?”
    “Anywhere but here,” Max answered.
    Zach hesitated. He wondered, was it safe to trust these two?
    Max glanced over his shoulder. “You coming or not?”
    Rose smiled at the boys. She extended her hand. “It’ll be okay. Come on.”
    Zach hesitated again. Without his father, the decisions were incredibly difficult. Sometimes, you only have your gut to go on , his father had told him. Zach’s gut told him he could trust this couple. He slung his father’s backpack onto one shoulder, nearly falling under the weight. “Okay,” he said, regaining his balance. “Let’s go.”
    Glancing at his brother, Zach followed the couple through the door. He could only hope that he hadn’t just made the worst decision of his life.
    * * *
    After exiting the train car, they scanned their surroundings, searching the area for threats. No sign of carriers, including the two last seen near the front of the train.
    “This way,” Max said. The rest of the group followed. Zach did his best trying to carry his father’s backpack, but his struggling quickly became obvious.
    “Let me help you with that,” Max offered.
    Zach shook his head. Something in his gut told him not to give up the pack. “I’m okay.”
    “No, you’re not. If we need to run you won’t be able to. Let me help you.”
    Zach paused. “It’s my dad’s pack.”
    Max’s face grew serious. “I’ll take good care of it. I promise.” He turned toward Jeremy. “What about yours? That second one you got there? Too heavy?”
    “Kinda.”
    Rose stepped in. “I’ll take it, honey.”
    Reluctantly, Zach handed away his father’s pack.
    After slinging the extra backpack over his shoulder, Max turned to the boys. “We’ll find an empty house and hole up for a bit. Then we can figure out what we do from there.”
    Zach hesitated.
    “You can trust us,” Rose said, her eyes imploring. “We need to get off these streets.”
    Zach glanced at his brother who stared at him, as if waiting for an answer. He could feel his duty of responsibility